The Georgia Bulldogs football program represents the University of Georgia in the sport of American football. The Bulldogs compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They play their home games at historic Sanford Stadium on the university's Athens, Georgia, campus.
Georgia claims four national championships, including three (1980, 2021, 2022) from the major wire-services: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll. The Bulldogs' other accomplishments include 18 conference championships, of which 16 are SEC championships, second-most in conference history, and appearances in 64 bowl games, second-most all-time. The program has also produced two Heisman Trophy winners, five number-one National Football League (NFL) draft picks, and many winners of other national awards. At 25, Georgia has the longest active streak among colleges in consecutive years having at least one former player on a Super Bowl roster. In addition to its storied history, the team is known for its unique traditions and rabid fan base, known as the "Bulldog Nation." Georgia has won over 900 games in its history, placing them 9th all-time in wins and has finished in the Top 10 of the AP Poll 30 times, 15 of which were Top 5 finishes.
History
Georgia's football program dates to 1892, when chemistry professor Dr. Charles Herty organized the university's first team and scheduled a game against Mercer, marking the first intercollegiate football contest played in the Deep South. Early seasons were marked by frequent coaching changes and modest success, though the Bulldogs achieved notable milestones under Glenn "Pop" Warner, including an undefeated season and a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) championship in 1896. The program survived a near shutdown following the death of player Richard Von Albade Gammon in 1897, after state legislation banning football was vetoed. By the 1910s and 1920s, Georgia had gained greater stability, producing All-Americans such as Bob McWhorter, moving from Herty Field to Sanford Field.
From 1939 to 1960, Wally Butts led Georgia through one of its most successful eras, winning four Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles while coaching Heisman Trophy winner Frank Sinkwich and All-American Charley Trippi. Vince Dooley followed as head coach from 1964 to 1988, becoming the longest-tenured coach in program history. Under Dooley, Georgia won the 1980 consensus national championship (following a 17–10 Sugar Bowl victory of Notre Dame), six SEC titles, and produced standout players including running back Herschel Walker (winner of the 1982 Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award) and defensive tackle Bill Stanfill (1968 Outland Trophy winner). Dooley was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.College Football HoF Vince Dooley September 28, 2011 Later decades included mixed results under Ray Goff and Jim Donnan, with Donnan's teams achieving consistent bowl success but failing to regain national prominence.
Mark Richt coached the Bulldogs from 2001 to 2015, guiding the program to two SEC championships, multiple division titles, and sustained national relevance before parting ways with the university. UGA alumnus Kirby Smart, hired in 2015, ushered in a period of unprecedented dominance. Under Smart, Georgia reached the national championship game in his second season and won College Football Playoff national titles in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, becoming the first program to repeat as playoff-era champions. His teams also set records for postseason margin of victory (a 65–7 win over the TCU Horned Frogs (58-point difference) in the College Football Playoff National Championship following the 2022 season, which they broke with a 63–3 victory over the Florida State Seminoles in the 2023 Orange Bowl, establishing Georgia as one of the sport's leading programs in the modern era.
Nicknames The first mention of "Bulldogs" in association with Georgia athletics occurred on November 28, 1901, at the Georgia-Auburn football game played in Atlanta. The Georgia fans had a badge saying "Eat `em Georgia" and a picture of a bulldog tearing a piece of cloth; however, it was not until 1920 that the nickname "Bulldog" was used to describe the athletic teams at the University of Georgia. Traditionally, the choice of a Bulldog as the UGA mascot was attributed to the alma mater of its founder and first president, Abraham Baldwin, who graduated from Yale University. Prior to that time, Georgia teams were usually known as the "Red and Black." On November 3, 1920, Morgan Blake of the Atlanta Journal wrote a story about school nicknames and proposed: The Georgia Bulldogs would sound good because there is a certain dignity about a bulldog, as well as ferocity. After a 0–0 tie with Virginia in Charlottesville on Nov. 6, 1920, Atlanta Constitution writer Cliff Wheatley used the name "Bulldogs" in his story five times. The name has been used ever since.
Conference affiliations
Georgia was a founding member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA), one of the first collegiate athletic conferences formed in the United States. Georgia participated in the SIAA from its establishment in 1895 until 1921. During its tenure in the SIAA, Georgia was conference co-champion in two years, 1896 and 1920.
In 1921, the Bulldogs, along with 12 other teams, left the SIAA and formed the Southern Conference (SoCon).Southern Conference History , Southern Conference 2006 Media Guide (accessed December 11, 2006) During its time in the Southern Conference, the team never won a conference championship. In 1932, the Georgia Bulldogs left the Southern Conference to form and join the SEC, where Georgia has won the second-most SEC football championships, with 15, behind Alabama (27).All-Time Winningest Division I-A Teams Independent (1891–1895) Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1896–1921) Southern Conference (1922–1932) Southeastern Conference (1932–present)
Championships
National championships
Georgia has been selected eight times as national champions from NCAA-designated major selectors, including three (1980, 2021, 2022) from the major wire-service: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll. Georgia claims four national championships (1942, 1980, 2021, and 2022).
Claimed national championships
1942 Wally Butts Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, Houlgate, Litkenhous, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), Williamson 11–1 Won Rose No. 2 – 1980 Vince Dooley AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF† 12–0 Won Sugar No. 1 No. 12021 Kirby Smart College Football Playoff†† 14–1 Won Orange (CFP Semifinal)Won CFP National Championship Game No. 1 No. 12022Kirby SmartCollege Football Playoff15–0Won Peach (CFP Semifinal)Won CFP National Championship GameNo. 1 No. 1
† Other consensus selectors for 1980 included Berryman, Billingsley, Rothman, Football News, Helms, NCF, Poling, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), Sporting News†† Other consensus selectors for 2021 include AP, FWAA/NFF, USAT/AMWAY (Coaches)
Unclaimed national championships 1920 Herman Stegeman Berryman 8–0–1 None – – 1927 Berryman, Boand, Poling 9–1 None – – 1946 Wally Butts Williamson 11–0 Sugar W 20–0 No. 3 – 1968 Vince Dooley Litkenhous 8–1–2 Sugar Arkansas L 2–16 No. 8 No. 4
Claimed national championship 1920 – First-year head Herman Stegeman led the program to its second undefeated season, outscored opponents 250–17. 1927 – Georgia's famous Dream and Wonder team led by George Woodruff went 9–1. This team was noted for having a win over 1920s power, Yale, in Connecticut. Georgia was ranked No. 1 going into its final game against rival Georgia Tech, where they were upset 12–0 in the rain. Even so, Georgia finished the season ranked No. 1 in two minor polls. 1942 – Georgia compiled an 11–1 record, shut out six of twelve opponents (including a 34–0 victory over No. 2 Georgia Tech), and defeated No. 13 UCLA in the 1943 Rose Bowl 9–0. Georgia finished No. 2 in the final AP Poll (Ohio State finished No. 1). The Bulldogs retroactively claimed the title in the late 1980s, after then-head coach and athletic director Vince Dooley discovered that the team was listed as a national champion in an NCAA record book.Seth Emerson, "Why does Georgia claim only 2 national titles when it could have more?, The Athletic (March 30, 2020). Retrieved March 30, 2022. 1946 – Fueled by the return of Charley Trippi, the 1946 SEC Champion Bulldogs went 10–0, including a 20–10 win over North Carolina in the Sugar Bowl. Notre Dame finished the season ranked No. 1 in the majority of the polls, but the Williamson poll recognized Georgia as No. 1. 1968 – The 1968 Bulldogs won Vince Dooley's second SEC Championship as head coach, and finished the season undefeated. However the 8–0–2 Bulldogs tied twice, and then lost to Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. The Litkenhous poll recognized them as National Champions. 1980 – The Bulldogs beat Notre Dame 17–10 in the Sugar Bowl to finish 12–0 and claim the national championship. Georgia finished No. 1 in the final AP and Coaches Polls. 2021 – The Bulldogs beat Alabama 33–18 in the CFP National Championship Game to finish at 14–1 and claim the national championship. 2022 – The Bulldogs beat TCU 65–7 in the CFP National Championship Game to finish 15–0 for the first time in school history and claim the national championship.
Conference championships Georgia has won a total of 18 conference championships, twelve outright and five shared. The school's 16 Southeastern Conference Championships rank it second all time in SEC history, behind only Alabama.
1896† SIAA Glenn "Pop" Warner 4–0 3–0 1920† Herman Stegeman 8–0–1 8–0 1942 SEC Wally Butts 11–1 6–1 1946† 11–0 5–0 1948 9–2 6–0 1959 10–1 7–0 1966† Vince Dooley 10–1 6–0 1968 8–1–2 5–0–1 1976 10–2 5–1 1980 12–0 6–0 1981† 10–2 6–0 1982 11–1 6–0 2002 Mark Richt 13–1 7–1 2005 10–3 6–2 2017 Kirby Smart 13–2 7–1 2022 15–0 8–0 2024 11–2 6–2 2025 12-1 7–1 † Co-champions
Division championships From 1992 through 2023, the SEC was divided into two divisions, the East and the West. Division champions were the representatives to the SEC Championship Game. Georgia won 13 SEC Eastern Division championships, and made 11 appearances during the divisional era. The Dawgs were 4–7 in those games. Twice, in 1992 and 2007, Georgia was the Eastern Division co-champion, but lost a tiebreaker for the right to appear in the championship game.
1992† SEC East N/A lost tiebreaker to Florida 2002 Arkansas W 30–3 2003† LSU L 13–34 2005 LSU W 34–14 2007† N/A lost tiebreaker to Tennessee 2011 LSU L 10–42 2012† Alabama L 28–32 2017 Auburn W 28–7 2018 Alabama L 28–35 2019 LSU L 10–37 2021 Alabama L 24–41 2022 LSU W 50–30 2023 Alabama L 24–27 † Co-champions
Bowl games
The Bulldogs have played in 64 bowl games, second all-time. UGA has a bowl record of 38–23–3. Their 38 wins rank the Dawgs second all-time in bowl wins. They have played in a record 18 different bowls including appearances in five of the New Year's Six Bowl Games (2 Rose, 5 Orange, 3 Cotton, 7 Peach, and 13 Sugar Bowls) and appearances in the 2018, 2022, and 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship.